“We have the same challenges faced by other departments across the province and across Canada,” said Mike Carter, fire protection services coordinator for the Municipality of Cumberland County. “If young people stay in the county and volunteer that would be a big help.”

Carter was one of several county administrators who attended an open house, information session Wednesday night at the Dr. Carson & Marion Carter Community Centre.

Tom Corkum, Springhill fire chief, shared a booth with Carter, and agrees with the fire coordinator.

“Like everybody else we get people trained but they find a job out west and we lose them,” said Corkum.

“I stop every young fellow I meet and ask them to come down and see what we do,” he added. “They’re not obligated but they might take a liking to it.”

The Springhill department currently has 27 firefighters, and that number includes fill-ins.

“The fill-ins train right along with us and can be certified as a Level One, and as people drop off from the department for whatever reason they can fill the void,” said Corkum.

Much of the Level One training can be studied online and can take as little as eight months to complete.

For more information about joining a fire department in Cumberland County call the municipality at 667-2313.